Trouble powering a new IR illuminator

Teken

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I just checked and here's what the Unifi switch is reporting for each device.

Old IR = 5.78 watts
New IR = 11.35 watts
Camera = 3.14 watts
Both IRs connected = 16.63 watts
That is what I hoped to see to be honest. So the POE switch actually has no problems running both IR lights at the 160.X feet of cable?
 

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That is what I hoped to see to be honest. So the POE switch actually has no problems running both IR lights at the 160.X feet of cable?
Correct. The 2A splitter is supposed to be here later today.
 

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Correct. The 2A splitter is supposed to be here later today.
I would be curious to see what happens when you connect just the new IR. Followed by connecting the camera? You’ll also perform the reverse test of camera than new IR.

Wondering if the POE AF handshake is turning off the port.
 

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@Teken... before doing those last tests, I'm going to wait and try the 2A splitter and report back. Thanks again!
 

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@Teken... before doing those last tests, I'm going to wait and try the 2A splitter and report back. Thanks again!
No worries, as your last test proved the switch could power both IR lights without issue. Taken at face value that doesn’t seem to be a power issue from the active splitter.

Let us all know!
 

Teken

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the IR LEDs are probably a lot more tolerant of low voltage and/or noise on the power supply.
The first task was to determine if the new IR was defective and based on the OP’s test the unit was not DOA. The next step was to determine if the switch was capable of powering the existing hardware as it has in the past.

The information provided by the OP confirmed the power draw seen at the POE switch. Next, is to see if both IR lights can be powered by the switch which is more than the old setup of cam / IR.

That shows the switch can power the end devices at the existing 160.X feet with the Y cables in place. This on the surface negates the active splitter of not being able to supply enough current to operate the IR.

The last step is to determine if this is due to the POE AF protocol of disconnecting power as a non AF device is present. I would expect to see the camera operate fine and once up attaching the old IR everything should operate as expected.

Simply disconnecting the old IR and inserting the new IR should not be an issue unless the inrush current is overloading the active splitter.

All of the above highlights the importance of a solid infrastructure that is spec’d to the 80% capacity limit. This is why nobody in the security industry uses active splitters or Y connectors over running dedicated 22-4, 20-4, 18-2, power wire.

One less piece of electronics to fail and worry about.
 

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UPDATE: I received the new splitter and put everything together and it did not work, but in a different way.

The new IR and camera powered up, but I was not able to get network connectivity. Solved one problem created another LOL! Frustrated... I replaced the splitter with the intent of returning things to the way they were and I accidentally left the new IR illuminator in place, and... everything is working! I have no idea what changed, but I'll take it. The additional IR light is a huge improvement!

New IR
Screen Shot 2021-10-19 at 8.14.25 PM.png

Old IR
Screen Shot 2021-10-19 at 8.39.44 PM.png

Port Info
Screen Shot 2021-10-19 at 8.37.39 PM.png
 
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